course partners TCC with NASA's Jet Propulsion
Lab and Fab Lab Tulsa to engage students in authentic research opportunities. Over the past two
years, eight students from the course have been
awarded paid internships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Lab to further their research experiences. She has
served as a co-Primary Investigator and West Campus coordinator for the National Science Foundation
PIPESTEMS grant, which provides scholarships to
STEM students and pairs them with mentors to encourage their engagement in the STEM field and
improve their success. Throughout her career with
TCC, Professor Davenport has not only invested
herself in the classroom but has also spent innumerable hours outside the classroom assisting students
to reach their educational goals.
Mary Phillips
Faculty Award for Teaching
Excellence
Mary Phillips, Associate Professor of Biology at Southeast
Campus, is described by her
students as inspiring, available,
responsive and a learner who
shares her knowledge with her
students. Her commitment to
teaching stems from her own
belief that there is no greater
power to transform lives than
education. Over the course of
her 34-year career at TCC. Professor Phillips has sought to
help students think critically, communicate clearly
and solve problems. She has used innovative curriculum like the STEM Research Challenge course; internships and fellowships from NASA, TU, OSU
and others; undergraduate research projects; study
abroad trips; and mentoring students individually
and as teams to develop their scholarship and interest in science. Her excellence as a teacher has been
recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching , the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the National
Association of biology Teachers. Her students simply call her phenomenal.
Debbie Deibert
Faculty Award for Teaching
Excellence
Debbie Deibert, Assistant Professor of Child Development at
West Campus, is described as a
consummate professional
whose students are fortunate
to learn preparation, organization, consistency and work ethic from her example. This year
she guided the development of
Seedling Symphony, an innovative program that connects
very young children to original
classical music arrangements
created by TCC’s Signature Quartet. The program
was well received by Tulsa’s early learning community, and Professor Deibert presented the program
at the International Infant and Toddler Conference
in April. As a Child Development Program faculty
member, Professor Deibert has been a leader in the
self-study process for program accreditation, has
participated in curriculum expansions and revisions
and has worked to ensure students will have meaningful field experiences that will lead to employment. She also maintains a high level of involvement in the early childhood professional community and serves on numerous local boards, including
Tulsa Educare and the Tulsa Jump Start Partnership.
RoxAnn Davenport
Faculty Award for Teaching
Excellence
RoxAnn Davenport, Associate
Professor of Biology at West
Campus, has contributed greatly to TCC’s STEM initiative.
Her colleagues describe her as
one who quietly and without
fanfare takes on the lessnoticed nitty-gritty tasks that
must be done for programs to
succeed. Professor Davenport
was one of the founding faculty members who developed a
unique undergraduate research
course called the STEM Research Challenge. This
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